On Feb.6,1911, Ronald
Wilson Reagan was born to Nelle and John Reagan in Tampico, Illinois. His
great-grandfather, Michael Reagan was from County Tipperary and his wife,
Catherine Mulcahey, was also born in Ireland.

Ronald Reagan attended
high school in Dixon, Illinois, then went on to Eureka College, where he studied
economics and sociology, played football and acted in school plays. Upon
Graduation, he became a radio sports announcer. In 1937 he took a screen test
and won a contract in Hollywood. During the next two decades he appeared in 53
films.

His first marriage to
actress Jane Wyman produced two children, Maureen and Michael. In 1952, he
married Nancy Davis, also an actress, and they had two children,Patricia ann and
Ronald Prescott.

Ronald Reagan was elected
Governor of California in 1966 by a margin of a million votes. He was re-elected
in 1970.

Ronald Reagan won the
Republican Presidential nomination in 1980 and choose former Texas Congressman
and United Nations Ambassador George Bush as his running mate. He won 489
electoral votes to 49 for President Jimmy Carter. On January 20,1981,he was
sworn in as the President of the United States of America. Only 69 days later,
he was shot by a would-be assassin, but quickly recovered and returned to duty.

Dealing skillfully with
Congress,Reagan obtained legislation to stimulate economic growth,curb
inflation,increase employment, and strenghthen national defense.He embarked upon
a course of cutting taxes and Government expenditures, refusing to deviate from
it when the strengthening of defense forces led to a large deficit.

In 1984, Reagan and Bush
won a second term with an unprecedented number of electoral votes, defeating
Democratic challengers Walter Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro.

In 1986, he obtained an
overhaul of the income tax code, eliminating many deductions and exempting
millions of people with low incomes.

His foreign policy sought
to achieve “peace through strength”. During his two terms, he increased defense
spending 35% but also sought to improve relations with the Soviet Union. In
dramatic meetings with Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev,he negotiated a treaty
that eliminated intermediate-range missiles. Reagan also declared war against
international terrorism, sending American bombers against Libya after evidence
came out that Libya was involved in an attack on American soldiers in a West
Berlin nightclub.

By ordering naval escorts
in the Persian Gulf, he maintained the free flow of oil during the Iran-Iraq
war.In keeping with the Reagan Doctrine, he gave support to anti-

Communist insurgencies in
Central America, Asia and Africa.

Overall, the Reagan years
saw a restoration of prosperity,and the goal of “peace through strength” seemed
to be within reach.

After a 10 year battle
with Alzheimer’s disease, Ronald Wilson Reagan, the 40th President of
the United States of America died on June 5, 2004.